500 Missing as Colorado Flood Continues to Rage

Heavy rains that started Wednesday sparked flash-flooding from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs

Residents urged to leave now or risk being stranded for weeks without water or power

The National Weather service says there has been over 12 inches of rainfall since September 1, breaking the 73-year-old record for the month

Surging floodwaters in Boulder led to the evacuation of about 4,000 residents late Thursday

President Obama has approved a federal disaster assistance request for the area and National Guard have been dispatched

Colorado residents are bracing themselves for further flooding and devastation, with more storms due to hit on Sunday.

More than 500 people are missing and at least four people have died, with another victim believed to be dead, after flash floods.

Many residents are still stranded in their homes as rescue workers try to reach them. Boulder county officials fear rescue attempts will be hampered by the extra 4in of rain due on Sunday.

Authorities who still haven’t reached all the stranded victims of floods in northeastern Colorado are bracing for a new round of storms on Sunday.

Already it is estimated that it will cost $150 million to repair more than 100 miles of road and at least 20 bridges that have been washed away.

County transportation director George Gerstle told CNNthe repair bill is likely to be 10 to 15 the annual budget.

A sheriff’s office spokesman said hundreds of people were unaccounted for, but added that some residents may have reached safety but not been able to contact relatives to tell them.

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said authorities had to be ‘realistic’ about the chances that the death toll will rise.

With the rain never seeming to end and the waters continuing to rise, more than 4,000 people near Boulder, Colorado, have been evacuated as nearby Milliken has been surrounded by water and turned into an island, according to reports.

The reality of what is becoming a long-term disaster is setting in, flooding has affected parts of a 4,500-square-mile area almost the size of Connecticut.

An aerial view of vehicles submerged in flood waters along the South Platte River near Greenley, Colorado